Issue 30 | May 2024

Resources for Supporting Families of Color

Western Regional Children’s Advocacy Center (WRCAC) is committed to strengthening the response of Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) and State Chapters throughout the western region of the United States. CACs and Chapters in our region and across the country are working every day to break down barriers to services for children and families and implement a trauma-informed response by multidisciplinary team (MDT) members.

Working with families at CACs not only calls for a trauma-informed approach by the MDT, but an understanding of how a client’s culture and racial identity influence and impact how they experience trauma and access to services. Supporting families of color requires a culturally competent and sensitive approach that acknowledges the unique experiences, challenges, and strengths of individuals and families from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. It is important that we equip CACs and our team members with the skills to recognize how they can support families of color throughout the investigative process.

Some areas to consider when supporting families of color are:

1. Cultural Competence: Understanding and respecting the cultural backgrounds, values, beliefs, and practices of the families they work with. Understanding the impact of racial trauma and intergenerational trauma is important in our work with families of color. This may involve ongoing education, self-reflection, and humility to recognize one's own biases and limitations.

2. Intersectionality: Recognize that individuals and families have intersecting identities, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socio-economic status, and more. Consider how these intersecting identities shape their experiences and perspectives.

3. Building Trust and Rapport: Establishing trust and rapport is essential, particularly with families of color who may have historical reasons to be wary of MDT members due to systemic oppression and discrimination. Take time to build a strong rapport based on mutual respect, empathy, and understanding. For suggestions and ideas about supporting families presenting with historical/racial trauma, please refer to resources below.

4. Empowerment and Strength-Based Approach: Recognize the resilience, strengths, and resources within families of color. Encourage empowerment by highlighting their strengths, promoting self-efficacy, and fostering a sense of agency in navigating challenges and pursuing goals.

5. Culturally Relevant Interventions: Tailor therapeutic interventions to be culturally relevant and responsive to the needs and preferences of families of color. This may involve integrating culturally specific practices, rituals, storytelling, and language into therapy.

6. Collaborative and Flexible Approach: Adopt a collaborative approach that respects the expertise and perspectives of families of color. Be flexible in adapting approaches and interventions to align with their cultural values, communication styles, and preferences.

7. Advocacy and Resources: Provide advocacy and connect families of color with resources, support networks, and community services that address their unique needs and challenges. Advocate for culturally competent services within the legal and mental health systems.

8. Self-Awareness and Continuing Education: Engage in ongoing self-awareness, self-examination, and continuing education to deepen understanding of cultural diversity and its impact on families seeking services at CAC. Understanding one’s own biases takes a lot of introspection but is a key step in understanding the biases we bring to the table as individuals.

Below are some suggested resources to support education and understanding of the challenges families of color face when intersecting with systems in our country. We know that there are many other resources out there that may be helpful, but these few are intended to help provide some foundational understanding of how we can all work together to better serve children and families of color. WRCAC is committed to keeping this conversation going.

Resources

Please share these resources with your teams!

CalTrin Resources to Support Racial Equity in Family-Serving Systems

In terms of training opportunities, the California Training Institute (CalTrin) offers Resources to Support Racial Equity in Family-Serving Systems. These free training courses can be accessed through CalTrin and are available on demand through their training archive. Some of the trainings may require you to create an account on CalTrin, but others do not. Creating an account on CalTrin is free of charge. You can find these trainings and many others by visiting https://www.caltrin.org/racialequity/

Resources from Dr. Isha Metzger, PhD, LCP

Black Moms Matter: A Qualitative Approach to Understanding Barriers to Service Utilization at a Children’s Advocacy Center Following Childhood Abuse by Metzger et al. (2023) includes suggestions for CACs seeking to improve engagement of Black families referred for trauma-related mental health services. Access to this article is available through CALiO, a project of the National Children’s Advocacy Center. CALiO provides CACs around the country access to research and resources for those working in child maltreatment. Access to CALiO is free for NCA member CACs, but registration is required.

Dr. Metzger supported UGA's Racial Trauma Task Force in developing this Racial Trauma Guide, which provides tools for individuals coping with racial trauma and provides informative resources for those of us working to help those who experience racial trauma along with other types of trauma, including children and teens. As allies in this work, it is important that we understand the implications of racial trauma coupled with the other types of trauma the children and families we work with experience.

Dr. Metzger is also the director of the EMPOWER Lab, which focuses on "Engaging Minorities in Prevention, Outreach, Wellness, Education, & Research" at Georgia State University. You can learn more about her research here: https://www.drishametzger.com/research

The Laboratory for Culture and Mental Health Disparities

The Laboratory for Culture and Mental Health Disparities website is also a great resource for research and tools to support clients of the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) community: https://www.mentalhealthdisparities.org/index.php

CALiO Bibliography on Cultural Applications for Trauma-Informed Mental Health Treatments

In terms of mental health treatment applications, the CALiO Library is a great resource for research in this area. Recently, they updated their subject bibliography on Cultural Applications for Trauma-Informed Mental Health Treatments.

Native Child Advocacy Resource Center

For trainings and resources related to serving American Indian and Alaskan Native families, please check out the Native Child Advocacy Resource Center (NCARC): https://www.nativecac.org/. WRCAC Roundup Issue 8 focuses on collaborating to better serve children and families from tribal communities, which you may find helpful. WRCAC Roundup Issue 19 discusses the importance of tribal sovereignty and highlights key takeaways from NCARC practice briefs.

Amelia Siders

Chapter Specialist - Mental Health

Western Regional Children's Advocacy Center

asiders@rchsd .org

Amelia Siders, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist who has worked to support children’s advocacy centers for over 12 years. She gained experience providing direct service as well as being a clinical supervisor and program director at a children’s advocacy center in Traverse City, Michigan. Following her time at the CAC, she had the opportunity to serve as the clinical director at the state chapter level for Children’s Advocacy Centers of Michigan. Her role at the chapter included providing resources, training, and supports for clinicians and advocates who served CACs throughout the state. She has been trained in several evidenced-based trauma informed treatment practices including Trauma-Informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. She has provided consultation in the areas of trauma-informed assessment and substance use treatment as well as served as an expert witness related to trauma and sexual abuse.

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WRCAC is supported by cooperative agreement #15PJDP-22-GK-03062-JJVO awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.

The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this product are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Justice.